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What is Flat, Neutral and Warm?

post #1 of 7
1/17/13 at 10:30am
Thread Starter 

Hi, I'm a noobie and I hear people saying these words and I don't know what they mean in terms of audio?

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post #2 of 7
1/17/13 at 2:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by asxz View Post

Hi, I'm a noobie and I hear people saying these words and I don't know what they mean in terms of audio?

 

Neutral means that the devices does not add or take anything away from the signal it is fed. For instance a neutral CD player perfectly extracts the data from the disc perfectly converts the digital stream to a continuous analog waveform that does not add (audible) noise or distortion and does not alter the frequency response i.e does not roll-off frequencies at either end, does not boost or cut any range of frequencies in-between and does not add any other artifacts or changes to the signal supplied. A neutral amplifier just adds gain.

 

Warm  = broken

 

Caution you'll find people throwing around terms like warm as if they are positive attributes, also you'll find people describing as warm components that are neutral. A component that is GENUINELY warm normally has some kind of lower frequency emphasis or excessive attenuation of high frequencies , or as I said earlier broken (possibly faulty...... being generous !)


Edited by nick_charles - 1/17/13 at 2:04pm
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post #3 of 7
1/17/13 at 2:48pm

http://www.head-fi.org/a/describing-sound-a-glossary

http://www.head-fi.org/a/glossary-of-terms

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post #4 of 7
1/21/13 at 5:53pm

Er, English beer, except it might not be neutral.

 

w

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post #5 of 7
1/21/13 at 6:02pm

How does one knows neutral when one never heard the original? Even if one heard the original through an audio system, that system may not be neutral.

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post #6 of 7
1/21/13 at 6:24pm

Quantitatively speaking its meaningless unless the individual making the comment states a reference point of some sort.

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post #7 of 7
1/21/13 at 8:08pm
When a piece of equipment passes the signal along without altering the frequency response balance, it's said to be neutral. Most amps, DAPs and CD players are neutral. Most headphones and speakers are not.
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